Ouch!

On Sunday, our little family went for a walk. I was walking our dog, Max. There were some dogs across the street that he wanted to go visit. I hanked on his leash to get him to heel again and then something happened. Somehow during all of the excitement, I dislocated my knee.

This is not the first time that it has happened. This is more like the seventh time. Thankfully my knee cap has always gone immediately back into place. I'm a little worried this time because it has rubbed more and it hurts more than it ever has before.

The knee brace in the picture is very similar to the one that I am wearing now. My daughter thinks that it would be fun to wear. Personally, I am excited for the time to come that I can put it back in my drawer and not use it again for a LONG time.

Gone to the Worms

Today we were working in our flower beds. I discovered a worm and showed it to my children. My daughter wanted to hold it and then my son wanted one of his own. Soon I was hunting all over the place for worm after worm. We talked about how important it was for the worms to not dry out, so we made sure that they were only out for a little while before we returned them to the dirt.

My son placed his last worm gently in the dirt and then said, "Bye, bye worm. I love you!" It was so sincere and sweet.

This whole episode got me thinking about worms and looking for a picture of one. This took my in a direction that I did not expect to go. Take a look at this clip and see if it brings back memories for you. I give you the worm from Labyrinth.

The Beauty of Bread

I learned how to make homemade bread a year ago. I had made several loaves previously in a breadmaker, but this was the first time that I had made it from scratch and baked it in the oven.

I am now hooked on making bread and eating it when it is still warm. There is something almost sacred about the process. No two batches ever turn out exactly the same, and you have to remember that you are dealing with a living thing. It can be harmed if you neglect it.

The smell of the bread bread baking will soon be permeating my home. I look forward to slicing it and enjoying a piece. I always make 4 loaves. Bread is always best when you have the ability to share it.

Piano in Time Out

First of all, this is not a picture of our piano. Ours is an upright, but sometimes I like to pretend that it is a baby grand. ;)

My children were playing the piano yesterday. At first it was rather pleasant, but progressively it became louder, and then it escalated to pure torture. I was in the kitchen when it happened, so I was not sure which child was to blame (most likely both). I decided that the only reasonable thing was to put the piano in time out.

This was the most recent of many inanimate objects that have received this "punishment". Neither child was singled out as the guilty one yet order was restored. Thank goodness the objects cannot yell, "Unfair!".

Painful to Watch

This little guy is my son. He is vibrant, fun loving, and my little cuddler.

Today his leg does not seem to be cooperating. Several times today he has been running and then his legs just give out on him and he falls. He fell down our little steps (3 steps) by our back door twice. He is not a clumsy child. Finally tonight he started clutching one leg and complaining that it hurts. There are no bruises or obvious scrapes. We gave him some tylenol before he went to bed. Hopefully his leg will be back to normal tomorrow. For some reason, I am really worried about it. :(

Sunset

I was driving with my children and father today. I spotted a sunset that was very low in the sky. We then started a game to see how often we could spot the sunset through the buildings and trees. It struck me how simple yet memorable that little moment was. There is beauty all around us. We just need to slow down long enough to see it.

Playground Wisdom

I once heard a book on tape called "All I Ever Really Needed to Know I learned in Kingergarten". I thought I would share a little bit of it with you.

"All I Ever Really Needed to Know
I Learned in Kindergarten"
Robert Fulgham

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in Kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.

These are the things I learned..

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life.

Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup - they all die. So do we.

And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living.

Think of what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you to out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

The Value of a Memory

My computer was down for a few days. I ended up talking to technical support to see what I could do to bring my computer back to like. After trying several things, the tech told me that he thought that my hard drive might be ruined and that my files and photo were most likely lost.

I was devastated. I have been scanning in my families photos and putting them on family websites and CDs. There were a lot of photos that were on my computer that had not been backed up anywhere. I did not realize how much value those photos held for me until I thought that they were gone for ever. Thankfully, we had a good friend that was able to help us fix our computer. Nothing was lost. Everything is now backed up in several places, but I am grateful for the experience because now I know how precious those photos truly are.